The Vampire Diaries: "Brave New World" Review

Introducing the new vampire in town...

After the high of the season premiere last week, it was inevitable that The Vampire Diaries would have at least a small drop off in the level of excitement and tension that made last season's finale and the premiere episode a week ago so entertaining. "Brave New World" takes the time to set up new storylines for the season, but most importantly it introduces the newest member of Mystic Falls' supernatural community: Vampire Caroline.

While Elena tries to pretend that it's possible for her to be a "normal" high school teenager, Caroline wakes up in the hospital to the realization that any semblance of normal is gone forever. Candice Accola gives an affecting portrayal of Caroline's growing horror as she grasps the idea that she is a vampire. She disgusts herself by craving blood to drink and is afraid to be alone with Matt. There is a quietly heartbreaking moment in the hospital when Matt visits and a ray of light between them is something she can't cross. Hilariously, and in typical Caroline fashion, she immediately sees the usefulness of being able to compel people to do things. It was a pleasant surprise in the first season when Caroline turned out to be more likable than the stereotypical cheerleader she first appeared to be. But a vampire Caroline is sure to be even more interesting.

The dangerous side of Caroline may be more fun in the future, but in "Brave New World" the best scenes dealing with Caroline's new life were on the serious side. The confrontation with Damon is well-earned and it is great to watch the formerly tormented girl throw her persecutor down a hallway. On the other end of the spectrum, Stefan tries to give Caroline some tips about how to deal with her out-of-control emotions and newfound vampire powers, including the unattractive vampire eyes and fangs. It is a sweet scene, and a good reminder that Stefan himself has learned to live as a vampire among humans.

I like the fact that Stefan tries to help Caroline, however, one of the troublesome points in the episode is that he gives her a quick tip, and then lets her go home, presumably alone. If she is a dangerous newborn vampire, who might need to be killed if she loses control, it seems much too risky to let her be alone with potential innocent victims like her mother or her boyfriend. I guess Stefan needed to have his evening clear so that he could take Elena on a romantic Ferris wheel ride. I'm not saying that the show should skip the sweet, romantic scenes, it would just be better if logic was not sacrificed for romance. I would also like to skip cheesy bits like Stefan jumping to the top of the Ferris wheel with Elena. Usually the special effects are decent, but that one is distractingly bad.

After Damon killed Jeremy last week, it is a little disappointing that there is not more fallout from that, especially from Elena. Of course, we can't actually lose Damon as a character since Ian Somerhalder is one of the best things about the show, but it would be nice to see more from Elena than glares and a sharp tone after he killed her brother in front of her. Sure, her brother's magic ring brought him back to life, but that was still an appalling act on Damon's part. Luckily Bonnie and Jeremy step in to show that they are capable of getting to Damon. Jeremy may be sadly outmatched in a physical fight (or in a whittling contest), but he manages to come up with a plan that Damon might have fallen for with the spiked drink.

A lot of time this episode is spent with the Lockwood family "secret", which may be unknown to the characters on the show, but is pretty clearly about werewolves. It is obvious enough that the show needs to get that storyline moving much quicker; it is the only point in this episode where things bog down. The one redeeming moment for the werewolf storyline is when Stefan and Damon dismiss the idea of werewolves as ridiculous, along with ninja turtles and zombies. Apparently they haven't heard that every vampire story requires a werewolf.